“Well…you’ve gifted me with an expensive necklace and taken me to my favorite movie. I think the chances are you’ll get what you want.”
“Tonight it’s not about what I want.”
She looked at him strangely. “I thought you were crossing my hard limit tonight.”
“I am. It’s a one hundred percent vanilla scene.”
“What about the sacrifice?” she pouted.
“It must be your choice.”
“Of course, I’m all in.”
He shook his head. “You must stay in character, Mary. I’m about to invite you in for a drink, but you have to decide if you’ll let me take your virginity.”
She almost rolled her eyes but stopped herself. “It’s pretty much a given. You know, jewelry, dinner…”
“But a woman like yourself isn’t swayed by such things. You respond to the man, not the trappings.”
“Huh, never looked at it that way before. Always been about the trappings for me…”
Faelan smiled as he guided her to the door. Once inside he asked her, “Would you like a mixed drink or some wine?”
“I’ll have the usual.” He went to get her rum and coke, but she stopped him. “On second thought, I’d like a glass of red wine. Please.”
He nodded, grateful that she was falling into character.
He poured them both a glass and returned to her. He guided her to the sofa, but before he sat down he raised his glass. “Here’s to a night with a beautiful woman.”
She smiled and took a sip of her drink.
Sitting beside her, he began a light conversation. Treating the encounter exactly as he would have if they’d met in the vanilla world, he made simple physical gestures to let her know of his interest. A light “accidental” brush of hands, playing with a strand of her hair, pressing his thigh against hers, and looking deep into her eyes whenever she spoke.
He was pleased to see her respond naturally to those nonverbal cues, and as the night progressed the chemical attraction they’d always had for each other grew to a feverish pitch.
Faelan got up and poured the last of the wine before returning to her. “Would you be interested in going to the bedroom to make love?”
Mary lifted an eyebrow. “Possibly.”
He smirked. “What would make that answer ‘absolutely’?”
“I’d like you to kiss me the way you would make love to me.”
Faelan’s cock stirred hearing her request. He put down both of their glasses and moved closer to her. He clasped one hand behind her neck and used the other to cup her chin. Tilting her head slightly, he moved in.
He kissed her lips tenderly at first, building up the tension as they became more insistent, then he began tasting her lips with his tongue.
Mary moaned softly, relaxing in his arms as she gave in to his attention.
Faelan was purposely slow as he darted his tongue inside her mouth and slowly swirled his against hers. Her legs parted slightly, an instinctual reaction to her growing sexual need.
“You’re so beautiful, Mary,” he murmured as he moved to her shoulder and left a trail of kisses up to her neck.
Her breaths became increasingly shallow as he made slow, intimate love to her with his mouth—their clothes still on.
When he pulled away, she looked at him with those large, luminous eyes. “Wow…that was damn sexy.”
He stood up and took her hand. When she grasped it, he smiled and pulled her up and into his arms.
She stared at him for several moments before saying, “I want you to make love to me, Todd.”
He hadn’t expected her to call him by his given name. It gave him an odd thrill he wasn’t expecting and made him desire her more.
Guiding her into his bedroom, Faelan instructed her to lie on the bed.
As she lay there looking up at him, his heart swelled with pride and longing for her. Vanilla or kinky, there was no doubt that Mary was a rare beauty.
All her hostile outbursts born of pain and self-loathing only made this moment that much sweeter. Before him lay a different woman. All the elements of Mary, but with an air of innocence and transparency.
It humbled him that she was willing to give this hidden part of herself to him.
Faelan undressed before her, his gaze locked on hers. He mentally separated himself from all their past memories, so that he could concentrate solely on the moment and the woman before him. It wasn’t simply role play; this was entering into a brand-new connection with her.
He hoped she felt it too.
Keeping his boxers on, he joined her on the bed, lightly resting his hand on her stomach. He felt her tremble under his touch and knew she was now invested in this scene as much as he was.
He leaned forward, kissing her lips as he let his hands lightly caress her arm. This wasn’t about satisfying his increasing libido; it was about making love to every part of Mary. Something he had never been allowed to do until now.
Mary seemed disconcerted by this new interaction, much like a woman introduced to BDSM for the first time. She was frightened and intrigued by the emotional connection it inspired, making her breath quick and her nipples hard against the material of her dress.
Faelan was both touched and saddened by that fact. The idea that a woman her age had no idea what it was like to simply be loved…it was a damn shame.
He began exploring her body, caressing her with her clothes still on. Gentle touches that became more exploratory as he slipped his hand up the skirt of her dress to graze her smooth thigh.
Mary positioned herself, subtly allowing him more access. His kisses became more passionate as his hand traveled farther up her leg and brushed the material of her lace panties.
She groaned in response, thrusting her tongue in his mouth, needing more connection. He focused on plundering her mouth as his finger snuck under her panties and he felt her wet pussy.
Oh, how it called to him.
Responding to that call, he moved down between her legs and eased her panties off. Putting his hand on her thighs, he spread them apart gently, exposing her bare mound with that tantalizing strip of blonde hair above her clit.
“I love a true blonde,” he murmured as he lowered his mouth to take the first lick. Her pussy was swollen from the extensive time spent getting her to this point. It made her exceptionally tasty. Normally, he would have dived right in and left love bites along the way as he made her come.
This time he introduced her to his gentler side. Coaxing her erect clit to pulse with need as he teased it with his tongue.
“Please…” she begged.
Pulling back the hood of her clit, he began licking it at a slow, rhythmic pace, groaning as he did so. Bringing her to climax was pleasurable for him, and tonight it held more meaning.
I will love every part of this body tonight, he thought, smiling as her pussy stopped pulsing under his tongue for a moment just before orgasm.
He growled his satisfaction as she came against his tongue. After her climax subsided, he kissed each of her thighs before heading back up. He kissed her on the lips, sharing her juices with her—something they both got off on.
“You taste good,” he murmured.
“I know,” she answered, smiling as they kissed.
“Why don’t you take off these clothes now?”
“I was hoping you’d suggest that.”
This demure side of Mary was a whole new experience. Even though she was a fully trained submissive and would do what he asked, she kept him on his toes trying to top him on occasion. It seemed a battle of wills for her, one that she wanted him to win, but couldn’t allow without a fight.
He was certain it stemmed from her past and was the reason he was patient with her during those scenes when it was a struggle for her. He had no time for bratty subs who liked to dominate their Masters with their disobedience, but when it was a sincere attempt to please and struggle to get there, he would move heaven and earth to help his submissive achieve it.
/> Faelan crossed his arms behind his head and lay back to watch Mary undress before him. She did not do her typical striptease, but kept her eyes on him the entire time, her movements nervous as she fumbled with the zipper of her dress and the back of her bra.
Amusing that vanilla sex could cause this kind of response from her. He knew it was the emotional aspect that terrified her but, based on her hard nipples and swollen pussy, the challenge of it was enticing.
“Turn around for me,” he stated as she stood in front of him completely naked.
Mary twirled around slowly, a shy look on her normally confident face.
“You have the body of a goddess and the face of an angel.”
She tilted her head and smiled.
That look about did him in.
“Mary…” he called out to her.
She joined him back on the bed and he pulled her to him, closing his eyes as he held her tight. He imagined her pure and untouched, the woman she was—inside.
This would be her first night connecting with someone on both an emotional and physical level. Like a virgin, this was a brand-new experience for her ripe with all the tension and excitement it brings.
“My virgin beauty,” Faelan whispered in her ear. “I want to make love to you.”
Mary moaned softly, her body trembling under his touch.
Releasing his hold on her, Faelan removed his boxers, revealing the raging hard-on he had been suffering from since the very first kiss.
She looked down at his cock, then back at him and smiled.
“I love you,” he told her. Lifting himself up, Faelan settled between her legs and braced himself with his arms to look down at her. “I have never loved anyone as much as I love you.”
She bit her bottom lip and glanced away.
“Look at me,” he commanded gently.
Mary turned her head back, tears in her eyes.
“Are you afraid?” he asked.
She nodded her head, her lip trembling. He could feel the well of emotions building up inside her, threatening to overwhelm Mary.
He smiled. “Don’t be afraid, my beauty.”
Her eyes softened, and she opened her legs wider as an invitation.
Grasping his cock firmly, he caressed her pussy with the head of his shaft, teasing her already sensitive clit.
Mary kept her eyes on him, holding her breath the moment his cock pressed against her opening. “I love you,” he murmured huskily as his shaft slowly sank into her warm depths.
She didn’t take a breath again until he was fully inside her.
Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled herself up and whispered in his ear, “I love you too.”
Faelan closed his eyes. She had spoken those three words before, but this was the first time he’d felt them on a soul level.
In response, he began slowly stroking her with his cock, making love to her gently, tenderly. His hand ran over her bare skin as his lips sought out hers.
He tasted her tears and understood the source. She felt it too, this deeper connection that was otherworldly and eternal. It pulled at them both.
Mary’s kisses became more intense and passionate, her need to be even closer driving her to wrap her legs around him and pull him in deeper. There was nothing in the world but the two of them. No past, no future—only now.
He held back for as long as he could, but eventually had to give in to the need for release. Grabbing her buttocks, he slid his cock deep into her, thrusting again and again. Mary lifted her hips and cried out in pleasure.
As they lay there afterward, Faelan felt the first telltale pulsations of her delayed orgasm just before her pussy began squeezing his shaft in rhythmic contractions. He kept still until the last wave had ended, then hugged her tighter before rolling off her.
In all his years, he had never experienced anything as intense.
Turning his head to look at her, Faelan caught Mary staring up at the ceiling.
“What are you thinking?”
She shook her head. “I never knew.”
“Knew what?” he asked, brushing away a strand of hair from her sweaty cheek.
She turned her gaze on him and smiled. “It could feel like that.”
“What? Vanilla sex?”
“No. Loving someone.” She looked back up at the ceiling, a slight smile on her face. “No wonder people get all weird about it.”
He brushed her cheek lightly with his thumb, a smirk on his lips. “I’m glad I could be your first.”
She laughed, but suddenly stopped and looked at him. “Thank you for never giving up on me.”
“I knew tonight would happen. I envisioned it way back at the Haven, the night you turned down Master O to scene with me. I thought all was lost when I got the news of my failing kidney—but I got my second chance and you came back to me. Ever since that day, I have been planning this night.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “That long ago?”
“Yes. When I love someone, I love them completely.”
She traced her finger over his lips. “You aren’t like all the other boys, are you?”
“No. My loyalty is fierce.” He grinned when he added, “Like a wolf.”
“Awoooo…” she howled playfully.
Faelan grabbed her and bit down on her neck, announcing gruffly, “Mine.”
Mary laughed as she settled into his arms. “I kinda like vanilla sex—in small doses, of course.”
“Are you ready for round two then, kinky style?” he asked, nuzzling her ear.
“Please, Master.”
With ease, they switched into their roles as Dominant and submissive and he had his way with her. Faelan noted a difference, feeling the love behind Mary’s submission.
It charged him up and he experienced the most satisfying power exchange he’d ever had.
Dark Past
Their lives seemed to be settling into a comfortable routine after that night, enough that Mary braved broaching a subject Faelan refused to talk about with her.
There were parts of his past he kept hidden. He had shared a small portion of that history with Brie in hopes it might sway her to give him a chance after the collaring—it didn’t.
As for Mary, he’d only made vague references to it if it might pertain to something she was suffering through. He’d kept that part of himself locked away from the world because it caused him only shame and regret.
The difference between Mary’s tragic past and his was that she had been a victim, innocent of the crimes against her. He, on the other hand, was guilty of manslaughter, a crime that could never be undone.
Nothing he could do would ever change what happened that night ten years ago.
Faelan had been living in his silent hell for years—enduring the guilt of a survivor who should have been the one to die.
When Mary brought it up casually, he was unprepared. “Do you ever think about that boy who died in the car crash?”
For the first time he felt the impulse to unburden himself from the heavy weight. Rather than skirt the issue and redirect the conversation as he normally would, Faelan answered her frankly. “I think of Trevor every day.” Saying his name out loud tore at Faelan’s chest and he looked away from Mary. “I live with his death chained around me. The guilt I carry never leaves—not for a second.”
“But why hang on to it after all these years?”
“It’s not as if I have a choice, Mary. I stripped away his parents’ hopes and dreams when I killed Trevor. They never had another child.”
“It was an accident,” she insisted. “It wasn’t as if you set out to kill the boy.”
“Lighting up a smoke while driving was dangerous. There’s no excuse for it.”
“Give me a break. People do it all the time.”
“Just like texting on a cell phone, I know. But anything that distracts you while driving has the potential to kill someone. Hell, if I had wrapped my car around a tree, it would have been devastating to my parents, b
ut at least it would have been fair. Killing someone else for your mistake is unforgiveable.”
“I don’t agree,” Mary told him. “If people who make mistakes can’t be forgiven, then what happens to all the shitheads in the world who purposely hurt someone? Are you saying they should get the death penalty?” She smiled to herself, mumbling, “I sure wouldn’t mind seeing my dad bite the big one.”
Faelan felt his stomach turn at Mary’s statement. If there was a way to exact justice on her father, he would. But the man had disappeared after Mary graduated from high school. He up and left her, leaving his young daughter high and dry with no means of support. If Mary hadn’t been intelligent and resourceful, who knows where she would have ended up. Truly, she was a hero in his eyes.
“I don’t place judgments on anyone else—except your father. I would teach him about abusing little girls if I could.” Faelan’s blood began boiling as he envisioned that man tying Mary up to beat her repeatedly.
She shook her head. “We’re not talking about me or my damn father right now. This is about you.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. “I’m just saying it doesn’t seem right that you should continue suffering because of something you did years ago. It was an accident. Why can’t you let it go?”
He looked into her eyes, building up the courage to tell her the details about that terrible night…and the devastating consequences that followed. He hoped she would understand him without condemnation. The guilt he carried had influenced every aspect of his life, ever since that day he’d woken up in the hospital and found out Trevor had died in the crash.
“I’ll tell you what happened, Mary. But you’d be the only one to hear the details. Brie knows only a few, I told Nosaka a little more, but other than those two I’ve kept my past closely guarded.”
Mary nodded, a haunted look in her eyes. “I get it, Faelan. Talking about those moments with my father messes with my head.”
“It’s the same for me, but it would be a relief if someone knew everything and understood what makes me tick.”
“I’m your girl,” Mary assured him. “Hit me.”